News & Research

Textiles Student Named Udall Scholar

06/07/2012

In a fall studio called Changing Fabric Surfaces, Margaret Kearney 13 TX created a fabric collage called Quilt for a New Community. At first
glance, the simple patchwork design and contrasting colors evoke a traditional mid-western
friendship quilt. But the blackened, oozing
patterns in Kearney’s silkscreened squares reference something more ominous:
the underground flow of oil that would pass through America’s heartland with
the stalled and highly controversial Keystone XL extension to the Keystone
Pipeline.

Kearney’s ability
to weave formal and aesthetic concerns with her environmental activism has won her national recognition as a
Udall Scholar, a program that recognizes college juniors and seniors on the basis of their
commitment to careers in the environment, health care or tribal public policy.
The foundation was established by Congress in 1992 in honor the late Morris K. Udalland the late Stewart L. Udall, brothers,
environmental advocates and both Congressmen from Arizona.

Winning a Udall scholarship is “such a great
opportunity to connect with other people in the field,” Kearney says. “Going into
textiles, I really had no idea what it would mean to relate my activist work
with textile work, so it’s been exciting to develop a process for myself.”

In winning the scholarship – which is typically awarded to students majoring in science or environmental policy –Kearney became the first student from an art and design school to be recognized
by the Udall Foundation since the awards were first given in 1996. In addition to receiving a $5,000 prize, she will fly to Tuscon, AZ in August to meet with community leaders, policymakers and the 79 other 2012 Udall Scholars.

“I’ve been in this
community of young people working on environmental issues, so I meet a lot of
other dedicated students across the country,” says Kearney, who has worked for
the Sierra Student Coalition since high school
and currently serves as chair of its curriculum development committee. “But it
always felt different, because they were studying environmental issues and I
was in a whole different world academically. So it’s really validating to be
chosen as a Udall Scholar, even if I’m not approaching this work in a policy or scientific way.”

Nominated for the award by Professor of Philosophy Yuriko Saito,Kearney competed against 585 candidates representing 274 colleges and
universities. “In representing the
problematic nature of the Keystone Pipeline project and its impact on the
environment, Margaret has emphasized how artists and designers can really
take on an environmentally activist role,” Saito says. “I think that made her
application stand out, and it’s a wonderful opportunity for her.”